Newcastle United 2 Watford 0: Chris Hughton delighted by show of spirit

07 December 2009 02:17
Newcastle are marching towards the Premier League while battling their quality with plenty of bottle.[LNB]Not even a dismissal of Kevin Nolan three minutes into the second half could stop Chris Hughton's defiant table-toppers from recording a sixth success league win for the first time in 13 years to move ten points clear of third-place Nottingham Forest in the chase for automatic promotion.[LNB]'It's a wonderful achievement' said Newcastle manager Hughton. 'This team deserves all the plaudits it gets. There are times when you can't speak highly enough of them and that applies to today. We showed a lot of resilience, which any side that wants to be successful has to do".[LNB] Home and dry: Fabrice Pancrate comes off the bench to claim Newcastle's second goal[LNB]Against a young, energetic Watford team, displayed plenty of spirit, this was a match that could have gone horribly wrong for the Championship leaders but after capitalising on a first-half defensive blunder they dug in after being reduced to 10 men and rounded off a satisfactory afternoon with a stunning second goal to ease the pressure seven minutes from time from substitute Fabrice Pancrate.[LNB]Having seen his side contribute so much to the match but take nothing from it Malky Mackay was justifiably disappointed.[LNB]"Newcastle were more clinical than us and that was the difference" said the Watford manager. But the way we played we deserved something and if we carry on like that on a regular basis we'll win more than we lose".[LNB]Watford's charity in the earlier stages looked like making it easy for the confident Magpies. [LNB]Craig Cathcart's under hit back pass encouraged Marlon Harewood to launch himself into a challenge on Scott Loach, successfully block the goal keeper's clearance and the ball rebounded across the penalty area for Peter Lovenkrafts to score into an unguarded net.[LNB]The lead was nothing less than Newcastle deserved although they were indebted to Steven Taylor for clearing Tom Cleverley's goal bound shot off the line after 10 minutes and to Steve Harper for making a fine one-on-one save from Heidar Helguson.[LNB]The character of the match changed in the 48th minute when Nolan, who had been cautioned for a first-half foul on John Eustace, lunged at Henri Lansbury and was shown a second yellow card by referee Jonathan Moss. Although the Team Army booed midfielder Lansbury, on loan from Arsenal, for the rest of the afternoon it seemed that the official had little option.[LNB]"I had no complaints about the second booking but I didn't think the first one was justified" said Hughton.[LNB]"Once that was the case it was always going to be difficult for Kevin".[LNB]Encouraged by their numerical advantage Watford raised their game and threw everything at Newcastle, but with full back Jose Enrique outstanding and centre backs Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini refusing to buckle, the Hornets buzzed but could not sting.[LNB]Helguson fired inches wide with Harper stranded, the goal keeper saved well from Cleverley and Taylor made a crucial on Danny Graham when the striker looked odds on to score. But as the half wore on the visitors' belief began to fade and was killed off seven minutes from time.[LNB]Substitute Pancrate, sent on 10 minutes earlier by Hughton as an outlet to relieve the pressure on his overworked defence, scored an individual goal to savour. Hemmed in near the corner flag he trooped his way into the penalty area before hammering a left foot shot into the net off the underside of the bar.[LNB]The goal rounded off an afternoon that made more believers of Newcastle's demanding fans, even though Hughton preached caution ahead of testing away games at Coventry and Barnsley this week. The Geordies will take some catching now.[LNB] [LNB]  Explore more:People:Kevin Nolan, Marlon Harewood, Steven TaylorPlaces:Newcastle

Source: Daily_Mail